“Go on. I’m listening.”
Cora tried to gather her thoughts again. They were scrambled by the pleasure building in her core. Heat swirled inside her, like dragon fire, though it was not an ability she ever had.
“The runes remind me to be brave. To be strong. To be wise.”
The waistband of her pants slid down. She was so pliant in Jasper’s hands that he easily maneuvered them over her calves and ankles. Annoyed at the amount of fabric shielding his skin, she began to work at the buttons of his shirt. While she managed the first few, the rest only irritated her, so she sent them pinging around the truck cab.
She reveled in the hot skin beneath her hands, exploring every inch of space she could find. The smooth planes of his muscles were interrupted only by the thin trail of hair that led her hands lower and lower.
Jasper growled and snatched her hand. He brought her attention to him. Both breathed heavy. The windows around them had long fogged, obscuring the view outside.
“I need to know that this is what you want,” he said. “Not the bond. Not your beast. You.”
Cora gave it only a moment’s thought. She was sure. Her body screamed for it, for him hilt deep inside her throbbing core. The desire might have been born from the bond between them, but it was Cora who wanted to see it through.
“Is this what you want?” She challenged. “Or is your demon driving you?”
“I have wanted you since the beginning. Nothing will ever change that.”
The words broke something inside her. Any hesitation she might have been holding onto shattered. She fell into him, losing herself to the way he felt beneath her, to the press of his cock against her core. She suddenly needed him inside her. As soon as possible.
But as his lips explored the curve of her neck, his hand dipped between them. He parted her folds to expose the wet need gathered there. Cora’s cheeks heated, but her embarrassment didn’t last long. Not when his fingers made small circles over her sensitive parts that drove her wild.
She squeezed her legs around him, hungry for more. The sensation swirled inside her. It was a windstorm ripping flames from a bonfire until every bit of her was scorched from the inside out. Her toes curled as his breath cascaded over her ear. His laughter was soft and pleasant, filled with pride while she squirmed before the first explosion.
The orgasm bloomed in every direction, unexpected and oh, so welcomed. His touched delved deep inside her the same way his fingers slid into her opening. She didn’t think she could handle it, shuddering around him, but she didn’t break into a million pieces. Instead, she formed around him like he belonged there.
While his fingers stirred sensations unlike anything else, she dug hers into his shoulders, desperate for something to hold onto. If she didn’t, she felt like she would float away. Her body was weightless. A tingling current coursed through her body, lifting her.
Jasper’s growl filled the cabin of the truck. It wrapped around her, not threatening, but possessive in a way that made her feel safe.
Safety.
That wasn’t something she’d experienced since her late teens. Her every movement had been fraught with consequence since Cal discovered her scales. There had been nothing Cora could do without reaping some sort of consequence. With Jasper, she felt weightless because she felt free.
It was a dangerous thought. She should have pulled back from him, should have donned her clothes and ended it there, but her own desires were too great. If she did not take what she could, she would never know what it was like to be touched by her mate.
Because, eventually, she would have to leave him.
As if he could sense her thoughts, he grasped the back of her neck and tugged her into a passionate kiss. The way his teeth dragged along her lips, bruising them, claiming them, spoke volumes. While she was distracted by the kiss, his fingers slipped out of her and the tip of his cock touched her opening.
She had barely a moment to gasp before he pulled her down over him. A groan filled her throat the way he filled her. She felt impossibly full. Complete.
It made her shudder. The thought. The sensations. Jasper, between her legs.
A king. Her king.
At first, he guided her hips, back and forth. He was slow and gentle, even if his eyes burned over her skin with a hunger for more, more, more. Once Cora regained a bit of herself, the groan finally breaking free of her lips, she reached above to brace herself against the ceiling and began to ride his cock in earnest.
The seatbelt coupling ground against her knee, but she couldn’t feel it while the tip of his cock hit home over and over. Jasper leaned back, a growl still emanating from him like the demon lurked just beneath the surface and ran his hands over her naked body. He grazed her nipples before pinching them and rolling them between his fingers.
He paid attention to every small part of her body, tracing the curve of her stomach and around her belly button. It was all too much. The pleasure was too much. If she was a balloon she would be about to burst. But Jasper was unrelenting. He gripped her hips and kept up her pace.
How could she feel so much with one person? How was any of this possible?
Cora didn’t want to feel this much for him. If she let herself love him, she’d never be able to leave. She wouldn’t be able to protect his clan from the dragons who would come after her.
But those thoughts were shattered when Jasper gave one final thrust. He punctured the dam building inside her and sent her orgasm flooding in every direction. Her nails dug into the ceiling while she clenched around Jasper’s hips. He, too, shuddered in ecstasy.
Their quick breaths fogged the windows around them. They were in a world of their own while they stared at one another. The words Cora couldn’t say buzzed in the air around them. She wouldn’t. Couldn’t.
But she did love him, no matter what she told herself. It was there, in her heart, a small spark with so much potential. If she let it, her love could become a fiery blaze. Was that how he felt about her? Did he feel this heat burning inside him, too?
She shut it away as she crawled off his lap, locking the spark behind doors in her mind. Now was not the time. There would never be a good time. Beside her, Jasper glared at the ceiling, lips twisted and brows furrowed. The expression jammed a knife in her heart, a sensation she hadn’t expected, until she followed his gaze.
There were two neat handprints on the ceiling above him with nail marks dragging through the center.
“Oh,” she breathed, still swimming in the remnants of her orgasm. Speaking was difficult. She knew she wouldn’t be able to string any words together. Not even a simple apology.
She’d never had a dick scramble her brain before. It was quite a feat.
“Well, that’s quite the memento.”
Cora couldn’t help it. She laughed at Jasper’s words, falling into hysteria before he threw her shirt at her. Her face protested at first, aching where it stretched from her silly smile. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed like this. Without thinking, she’d left her mark on Jasper’s truck, and all he had to say was that it was a memento?
When he looked at her, his hope was clear. It broke her heart, her laughter suddenly dying. He looked at her like she was the answer to everything wrong in his life. The truth was that she’d only bring more devastation. Cora refused to let him sacrifice for her.
She couldn’t stay.
No matter what her heart and body wanted.
Chapter Ten
The house was abuzz with life once again. They were the kind of nights where Jasper could breathe easier again, although he would never tell his cousins that. He let them believe he hated their presence so they would continue being as annoying as possible. Their antics were a bright light in a place that had been dark for too long.
Jasper’s father had been an upright man, stoic till the end. He hadn’t allowed Jasper and Griffin to run inside. They’d barely been allowed past the front door
most days, forced out into the world by themselves. When he came home at night, the house was lit only by a few dim lamps. Dinner was a quiet affair eaten in silence.
The only sound of the evening were the nights his mother read to him. He still had all the books on a shelf in his bedroom, from the short picture books to the big volumes they worked through together.
While the family night events were nothing like those simple reading hours, they were a herald of a new age. Especially now that Cora was sitting on the edge of the couch. Of course, her back was perfectly straight, as if she leaned into the cushions, they would grab ahold of her and she would never escape.
He was glad to note that she didn’t glance at the exits. Instead, she watched Ashton fumble with a guitar while Ryker and Makenna both tried to coach him. The young copper dragon’s brows furrowed, and his tongue stuck out the corner of his mouth, but he couldn’t seem to get the hang of it. His fingers slipped over the wires and the chords were off key.
“I’ve got more in storage if you want to go outside and smash it,” Ryker offered.
“He will not smash it!” Makenna snatched her guitar from Ashton’s hands and held it close to her chest.
Ryker just shrugged. “I could go get one out of storage.”
Makenna narrowed her eyes at Ryker. “Do you buy guitars just to smash them?”
It was Mina who chimed in from the kitchen. “Yes! He does.”
Minute by minute, quip by quip, Cora relaxed into her seat. She drew her feet under her and rested her head in her hand. Jasper wanted to approach her, but he didn’t know what to say. He knew her body intimately now. He’d showed her just how badly he needed her.
But something about their relationship still felt impermanent. He feared one wrong move would send her running like a stray cat. He could promise her a hundred times over that he would do anything for her, but words were just words. They could not bind the universe to do his bidding. He could not tell Cal to go away and forget about Cora.
When he was near her, all he wanted to do was fold her into his arms. He wanted to sink into her and feel his own worries melt away. That would do nothing for her.
She twisted in her seat, met his gaze, and held out her hand for him. His heart stuttered, beating double. He stumbled forward and took her hand. She pulled him around the back of the couch and down onto the seat beside her. When he thought she would snuggle into him, she stayed on her side of the couch.
A bit of disappointment hit him, but he did his best not to show it. They’d crossed so many boundaries and yet she still felt miles away. He didn’t know how to close the distance. He’d be damned if he asked one of his metallic dragons. They wouldn’t let him hear the end of it.
He opened his mouth to speak when a thump rattled the house. He shot to his feet. Cora was there, beside him, ready to fight. Everyone else had gone silent. Their eyes turned to the ceiling as more thumps shook the walls. Rhythmical, they followed one after another like…
Footsteps.
Wyatt and Ryker rolled their shoulders as they both made for the front door. Ashton stole a kiss from his mate before darting for the back door. Griffin followed, with Lilah on his heels. His court moved in sync, without needing orders, without fear.
Jasper turned, but Cora stopped him with her hand on his shirt.
“If there is too much collateral damage, promise you will give me over to them.” Her eyes were pleading, glassy with fear.
His demon rocketed to the surface. He knew the flames filled his eyes because Cora’s lips parted and one foot slid back, like she wanted to run. His mate held her place. She didn’t back up or run.
“There will be no collateral damage,” the beast growled through his lips.
For once they were in agreement. Jasper and his demon would do their damnedest to keep anyone from getting hurt. He was king of these mountains and it was time to act like it.
He let his fingertips trail over Cora’s hand as he turned away and headed toward the front door. She said nothing, only followed. His queen. His life.
Outside, a green-scaled dragon lurked on the roof, looking down at all those who exited the front door. Cal stood in the center of the courtyard again, like this was a meeting of kings and not another attempt at kidnapping. Jasper was going to make sure Cal could never smile so smugly again.
“We were in the middle of a family dinner,” Jasper announced, hands in his pockets like he didn’t care that an invading troop of dragons lurked on his front step. “Could I ask you to come back another time? Perhaps never?”
“Have you given my letter any thought?”
Cold doused Jasper’s flames. The world swayed around him. He’d been so focused on pulling his dragons together and courting Cora that he’d forgotten. A glance back at Cora reminded him that he’d never told her about it. Betrayal dragged her jaw toward the ground. Now was not the time to tell her.
But the truth was about to come out anyway.
“What letter is he talking about?” Cora stomped toward Jasper.
Guilt weighed him down. Even if his monster could spread his wings, Jasper was sure he’d never leave the ground. He’d ignored Cal’s threats, set thoughts of them aside, when he should have done something.
“Have you been corresponding with this asshole?”
“He sent me a message. I did not write back,” Jasper bit the words out.
Betrayal filled her eyes. She stepped back from him. Jasper knew he could do nothing to abate the feeling just then. If she gave him the chance, if she could hear him out later, then maybe he could explain himself. But Cora had always stood on the edge of leaving.
This sealed the deal.
She spun and fled into the guest house. He imagined she was packing her meager things. Probably wrecking everything he’d given her as it no longer meant anything to her.
He slowly turned his attention back on Cal. Jasper was tired of the dragon’s meddling. The message he’d sent had been nothing but one giant threat. Not at Jasper and his family, but at Cal’s own clan. Jasper should have dealt with it earlier. He wasn’t being the best king, but he didn’t think even the beast could handle everything all at once.
The best king could not unify his own clan while saving another. It happened one at a time. Unfortunately.
“Oh no,” Cal said with false empathy, his smirk plain to see. “Did I ruin something?”
“I’m going to rip your face off and save the world a whole lot of trouble,” Jasper growled.
Cal held his hand up before Jasper could reach him. Cal’s eyes flicked to the dragon perched on Jasper’s roof. “One more step and I’ll have him punch a hole through the roof.”
A grin spread over Jasper’s face. He sped toward Cal, lifting the man off his feet by the front of his shirt. Behind him, the sound of shattering wood and glass echoed in the night.
“Do you really think I care more about a building than I do my clan? Than I do about your clan?”
The fear that flashed through Cal’s eyes satisfied Jasper’s demon. The beast enjoyed watching the man squirm. Even if it lasted only a moment.
***
Cora couldn’t believe her eyes.
The green dragon had destroyed the second floor of Jasper’s house, but if it bothered her mate, he didn’t show it. He’d sacrificed his home just to reach Cal.
Jasper’s words rung in the air. The house was nothing to him. It was replaceable, a thing that could be mended over and over again. It was his clan that he cared about.
And hers.
All at once, Cora realized what Cal said to Jasper. The message hadn’t been a treaty like Cora thought. It wasn’t to convince Jasper to hand her over. It was a threat. Just like he’d done to Cora before, Cal used the pain of his own people to bend the will of others. He’d gotten her to do his bidding that way. Until those same people convinced her to escape.
Cora thought that once she was far away and couldn’t tell if he
was hurting them, that he would stop. She should have known better. Cal wouldn’t stop until she was at his feet, begging him. He would do the same to Jasper and his people if she didn’t give herself up.
Without thinking about the repercussions, Cora had endangered so many more people. She knew that by coming here, she was drawing Jasper and his court into a war, but it was becoming evident that the war would not be contained to the court. The metallic dragons could not be everywhere all at once.
But watching Jasper throw Cal to the ground was satisfying in ways she’d never known before. Cal rolled away before slowly rising to his feet. He wiped at his bloodied mouth with the back of his hand, eyes gleaming with the promise of retribution. She couldn’t help but think of the faces she’d left behind, the ones who would hurt for this fight.
Before she realized what she was doing, Cora had the door thrown open. She stormed toward the fight with a flurry of words on the tip of her tongue. They died as Jasper raised his voice for all to hear.
“You tell your clan that anyone who wants to defect is welcome in Grove. We are a family and as such we protect our own.” He turned his scowl at Cal. “Unlike some pretenders.”
Her heart thumped double time. She wasn’t sure if she’d heard him right. Had Jasper just stuck his neck out not just for her but for her whole clan? She glanced around the circle of dragon shifters, wondering if any of Cal’s army would take the message back to the others.
She caught sight of a familiar face, a red-scaled dragon she’d been friends with. She held the dragon’s gaze, hoping they would take the message back, that others would know to come here.
Cal snarled. “If that’s how this is going to be, expect them to come to you broken.”
She didn’t think. She didn’t have to. Without an ounce of fear, Cora approached Cal and drew her fist back. Her knuckles screamed in pain, but the satisfaction she felt watching him stagger back was more than worth it. Cora planted her feet apart and held her ground.
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